China's domestically developed AG600, the world's largest amphibious aircraft, took its maiden flight ahead of schedule on Saturday from the southern city of Zhuhai, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The AG600 was designed to extinguish forest fires and carry out rescue missions at sea, Xinhua said on Saturday, adding that it could also "be used to monitor and protect the ocean."
The seaplane's maiden flight comes amid China's increasing assertiveness to its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea where it is building airfields and deploying military equipment, rattling nerves in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States.
China is in the midst of a massive military modernisation programme, ranging from testing anti-satellite missiles to building stealth fighters and the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier, to add to an existing one bought from Ukraine.
Xinhua initially reported in March that the AG600 would take its maiden flight in late May.
flydubai has strengthened its pilot development strategy through new partnerships with Egnatia Aviation and Skyborne Airline Academy, aimed at expanding the airline's training capacity and support...
Air France was among the leading winners at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, held in London on September 18, 2026, earning multiple distinctions that highlight the excellence of its products and cust...
RECARO Aircraft Seating is celebrating the 80th anniversary of Scandinavian Airlines with a unique collection of 80 customized RECARO Gaming Nxt chairs created exclusively for the carrier. Repres...
Embraer delivered the first Praetor 600E to Flexjet, marking the operator as the launch fleet customer for Embraer’s latest-generation super-midsize business jet. The inaugural aircraft joins Fl...
